Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is not expected to miss Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers while serving jury duty. However, the 29-year-old will be forced to rearrange his practice schedule for the foreseeable future.
He is part of a 12-person jury for a felony assault case in Tarrant County and refused to back out of his civic obligation despite his team’s attempt to get him excused.
According to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Aubrey was spotted in the downtown Fort Worth courthouse on Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, his team simply practiced without him. The Cowboys listed their star kicker on the injury reporter with one of the more unique designations of all-time as he wrapped up his first day inside the courtroom. They will continue to do so for the remainder of the week because Aubrey will not be able to practice with his teammates on Thursday or Friday.
Brandon Aubrey is out indefinitely, with stipulations.
Fortunately, this specific case will not sequester its jurors. Aubrey is going to be released for nights and weekends while the case is ongoing, so he can travel with the team and play on Sundays. The judge is also willing to work with the kicker and consider his football schedule.
Even though all of the metaphorical bases are covered, there is no way to know how long the case could last or how long Aubrey will be required to report to the courthouse during the week.
Dallas reported “tried to pull him away” from jury duty, but its star specialist respectfully declined its efforts and insisted on serving. Considering that he is a kicker, the impact is relatively minimal.
Aubrey can get most of his work in at any hour of the day. He is one of very few players on the roster that can do his own thing on his own time and still be prepared. It’s not like he needs to be there for live 11-on-11 reps or needs to practice the playbook. All he has to do is show up and boot it between the uprights.
Brandon Aubrey is one of the best kickers in the NFL and the Cowboys need him. As does his country!